Methods for Measuring Lung Volumes: Is There a Better One?

The accuracy level of three different lung volumes techniques (body plethysmography, radiography with computerized tomography and dilution) were analyzed in the "Respiration - International Journal of Thoracic Medicine".

Accurate measurement of lung volumes is of paramount importance to establish the presence of ventilatory defects and give insights for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes. The aim of this study was to measure lung volumes in subjects with respiratory disorders and in normal controls by 3 different techniques (plethysmographic, dilutional and radiographic methods), in an attempt to clarify the role of each of them in performing such a task, without any presumptive ‘a priori' superiority of one method above others.

Study findings show that "in all circumstances, both computerized tomography (CT) scan with spirometric gating and plethysmographic methods provide similar values of lung volumes. In contrast, the dilution method can measure lower lung volumes in some patients with chronic airflow obstruction".

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Founded in 1980, COSMED is a privately owned company manufacturing Cardio Pulmonary and Metabolic Diagnostic Equipment. COSMED products include a full range of Spirometers, Pulmonary Function, Body Composition, Nutritional Assessment and Cardio Pulmonary Exercise systems, including Electrocardiographs, Ergometers and Assessment Software. COSMED solutions are aimed for either professional or medical use for many different applications like: Hospital, Clinics, Primary Care, University & Education in Human Physiology, Clinical Nutrition, Commercial Weight Management, Human Performance Centers, Sport Institutions and Health Club Industry. COSMED Headquarters are located in the province of Rome, Italy. COSMED has subsidiaries in the USA, China and Germany, and distributes its products internationally through a constantly growing distributor network covering more than 70 countries.